The Museum of Modern Art, February 21, 2009

I will be writing my paper on Tehching Hsieh. "One Year Performance 1978-1979"I was impressed with Hsieh's work. Can you imagine living in a cage (by choice) for a full year without talking, reading, writing, or the things you enjoy most. Well, this is exactly what Hsieh did. From 1978 to 1979, when he was 28 years old, Tehching Hsieh spent a year in a cage, about the size of a prison cell. The only person Hsieh has contact with was a friend who took pictures of him everyday and brought him food and tooked away his pee and poop. This display has the original cage that he lived in for that year and the sink, bed, mirror, and lamp that he used. Tehching Hsieh was 23 years old he came to the United States. Putting himself in jepordy he took his chances. When he arrived in the states he first lived in Philadelphia, but he was afraid thatimmigration might find him, so he took all the money he had left and took a cab to New York. Hsieh had been never been trained in the arts, but he painted abstract art Taiwan. Hsieh became known in the art world after he jumped out of a window before he left Twian. He knew nothing about performance art, but this is where his career was heading. His first work in New York was called, One Year Performance 1978-1979. Hsieh shaved his head and started on his one year isolation journey in a 11 1/2 x 9 x 8 foot cell in his apartment on September 30, 1978.
Hsieh vowed not to talk, read, write, listen to the radio or watch TV for a year. Hsieh friend placed flyers about the performance. He wore a white prison-like jumpsuit with his name and dates he would remain in the cell on it. Pictures were taken of him from the time he was ball on day one up until the last day with shoulder lenght hair. These photos show him relaxing on the bed, there was not much to do. Hsieh marked on the wall the days he had spent in this cage. This act of art takes lots of courage and will power.










Sol LeWitt, "Broken Bands of Color in Four Directions" 2004

Robert Delaunay Simulataneous Contrasts: "Sun and Moon" 1913, Oil on Canvas.

Henri Rousseau, "The Sleeping Gypsy" 1897 Oil on Canvas.

Tom Wesselmann, "Still Life #30" 1963.